The Bucket List
by etraya
Summary: Izzy is given just 6 months to live, she begs for a second chance to fulfill her bucket list, she is given one. Only problem is that second chace happens to be in the dark ages. This is the story of a second chance, and how one wish can change everything
1. Chapter 1

**Discalimer****: No I don't own King Arthur.**

**This is very ****loosly**** based on the film the Bucket list.**

**Summary is basically: ****Izzy**** has a successful lie, money, good job, but when she is diagnosed with Cancer she decides to live her life to the full She is given a second chance, a chance to fulfil her life, and find meaning, and maybe change her own destiny and others along the way.**

**Please don't flame me because of the illness, I know what its like to deal with loved ones with cancer, but this is a happy story really. Let me know what you think and whether ****i**** should continue.**

**Thanks x**

On the third of March 2007, at 3.37pm Isabella Sullivan sat in Dr Sampsons office, looking stunned at the news she had just received from the woman who sat in front of her. She thought back a few weeks earlier, before this nightmare had started, she was 41, the editor for one of the most successful newspaper in England, 'The Times', one of the most intelligent people in London. She ate in fancy restaurants, was constantly consulted for information and news, even found time to go to the gym on a regular basis.

But now that all felt irrelevant, it didn't matter that she knew who were the top runners for the next US elections, or that she had been personally or that she was earning more than most people in the UK, or all the irrelevant knowledge that she did. It did not help her now.

Just one sentence had changed her irrevocably.

"I'm afraid that its not good news, the cancer is terminal, there's nothing we can do."

Six months, maybe a year, that was all she was given. 'Six months!' she thought, what kind of diagnosis is that, 'I paid all that money, and for what! They can't even do anything'. Dr Sampson asked whether she wanted to be admitted for care and observation, but Isabella declined, 'what can be done now?' she thought.

An hour later, she was walking down Oxford Street, she didn't take in any of the hustle and bustle around her, it was half term so she was surrounded by chattering girls and boys, free from school to go sightseeing, and shopping. She didn't listen to any of their conversations, didn't look at their youthful faces, just walked, lost in her own morbid thoughts. Six months, six months, six months, continually reeling round her mind, what kind of time is that, it had taken her 41 years to get to where she was in life, 41 years to be successful, and she had sacrificed so much.

'41 years, and what will I have to show for it, when I am buried, who will be there?' No family no friends, she'd let that part of her life go, at the time she'd told herself it didn't matter, she had loads of time to make up that part of her life, after all loads of people had children in their 40's now didn't they? But now, six months, what could she do in that time. There was still so much she wanted to do, she had always told herself that she would get round to it, but she had always been too busy.

She reached her apartment, sliding her key into the lock she shook her mind back to the present. Looking around her flat, she realised what her life really was, just stuff. The artwork ad sculptures that adorned the minimalist style living place. But where was the sign that it was a home, where were the pictures of her with a husband and children, friends even? There were none, she had no family, no friends. Where were the ornaments from exotic places she had visited in her gap year? There were none, she had ever taken time off, to busy finding a career. Where were the hand drawn scribbles from a child, telling its mother of its love? There were none, she had never bothered to stop to love.

Falling down to the floor Isabella sobbed, not just tears, but real heart-wrenching sobs that echoed and howled throughout the flat, she sobbed not because she was dying, but because she was dying and her life had come to nothing, for all the time she had spent trying to build a career, trying to be successful, she had forgotten to live her life, had always said that everybody wanted to be rich, wanted people to know their name.

Now she knew she was wrong, did it matter that she was on a seven figure salary with generous bonusus and perks, when she had no one to come home to. She always thought she needed to have money to leave to those behind when she was dead, but did that matter now when she had no one to leave the fruits of her success to. When she had no stories to tell, no memories to comfort her.

She remembered back to the hospital when she was in the waiting room, an old lady had just been given bad news opposite her, but she just said it wasn't too bad.

"Don't worry, I've got my stories to tell, places I've been to, people I've seen, got my grandchildren to love me, I've lived my life, now its time to rest" she had said to her husband who had sat next to her holding her hand like he had held it for the past 50 years.

Isabella sobbed for all this, and so much more. Darkness fell over, yet she did not move, after she had shed all the tears she could she just sat there, on the floor, numb with everything. Wishing that she could have a second chance, promising that if she could she would live life properly, would do all she could to bring joy into her life, and into other lives as well. That she would go places, and see things, that she would love someone else like she had never loved before.

Well into the night she finally hauled herself off the floor. Determined, she wasn't going to live the last six months, possible a year of her lie in regret, she was going to do everything she could, ok maybe she oculdn't have children, but there were some tings she could do, as she was going to do them! People had always remarked how determined she could be if she tried. So she pulled a pen and an A4 piece of paper towards her, in big letter she scribbled "MY BUCKET LIST" on the top of the paper, and listed all the things she was going to do, no matter what!

Dance with the Masai Mara

Stand on top of a mountain

Eat until I burst

See India

Watch the sun rise over the Serengeti

Learn to play an instrument

Walk over a frozen lake

Ride a horse so fast the world falls away

Make home-made bread

Sleep when I want

Sail a boat

Walk up the Himilayas

Walk the great wall of China

Learn to paint

Learn a new language

Get totally lost

Help a total Stanger

Find a true friend

Love someone

Get a Tatoo

She looked over the list, determined, and strangely satisfied. 'Somehow' she thought 'I will find a way to do all these things. I will not regret my life!' Looking over the list she thought there was one this missing, at the bottom of the list she wrote

Find peace and freedom

Satisfield she folded up the list, she would start tomorrow, go straight to the travel agent, book a flight to somewhere she didn't even know, and live her life, she wouldn't even bother to phone work, she was just going to go, even if she didn't finish the list she was at least going to try. But for now she was tired and needed to close her eyes. So she fell asleep right there on the sofa, with her bucket list still in her hand. Tomorow it would start.

Little did she know exactly how it would start, somewhere in the universe something heard her, saw her despair and showed some kindness. She would be given a second chance, somewhere else, somewhere she would have no choice but to live her life to the full.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

**Sorry its short but ho hum**

A lone figure breached the horizon, from the fort a lone knight noticed the figure, too far to be distinguished as male or female, or even the age. 'Most likely a trader' or such, he thought to himself. The fort was a busy place, always with comings and goings, but as he always did, he made a mental note to check the identity of the visitor as soon as he could.

Within the hour the figure was in the village surrounding the fort, a person who at first glance upon the hill, had been indistinguishable, was now very much noticed. It was a combination of the strange clothes she wore, the various tattoos and markings adorning her body, the loose canvas bag slung over her shoulder with various patches showing great us, but most of all the fact that this traveller was a woman. The people of the village had met travellers many a time before, but many of them were men, and those women folk they had met were usually part of a travelling band of gypsies. No, they had never seen a lone female traveller, in particular one so handsome and with no weapons on show.

Izzy looked around the fort, thinking to herself how she had come to this place, and as always thanking the various gods she had become aware of though her travels. How odd it was, she thought to herself, that 5 years ago I was going to be dead, I was going to be dead and no one would have noticed. Something, or Someone had truly blessed her, yes she had sacrificed everything she had worked for, and first, when she found out where she was that morning when she woke up to find herself in the middle of nowhere, she was angry, confused and wanting very much to come home. Of course, she did not know at the time that she was no longer dying. That's not to say there hadn't been hardships, personal hygiene here was definitely limited and trying to convince others to wash had been tiresome.

But enough of the past, she thought to herself. She was here to see an old friend, one whom she had met 4 years ago in Rome, he had been part of the Sarmatian force there, before a British commander had him attached to a new regiment, he was a knight now, she thought to herself, thinking she must remember that now. Her travels had taught her the first place to ask for a man was always the brothel or the tavern, but knowing her friend the tavern was the more likely place to find him. It was easy enough to find, pretty much centralised to the village and fort, with a constant steam of customers coming and going.

She walked in to more than a few stares, various soldiers sat at tables, a few merchants trying to peddle their wares and others huddled in corners, keeping their business to themselves. She was in not in the mood to recount tales of her travels yet, so she walked straight to the bar where a curvy redhead stood, about to burst with child but with a look that told all not to mess with her- even Izzy felt a little intimidated.

"Can I help ya'?" asked the woman briskly when Izzy stood at the bar starig idly into space.

"I hope so" she replied flashing a warm grin so that the tough red head smiled back. "I'm looking for an old friend, was told he'd been shipped here. Name's Dagonet?"

"Dag?" reeled the woman, slightly shocked that this odd woman should be asking for one of her friends, Vanora didn't think that someone like Dag would ever know a woman like this, and how they had met she would ask later. But for now she seemed genuine.

"Yes, I knew him in Rome, was passing this way and thought I would come see him- like I said heard he'd been shipped this way" said Izzy, waiting for a reply to her question.

"Oh, ok, well the knights are training at the moment, I'd show you to the training area me'self but as you can see I'm kinda busy here" replied Vanora, wishing at that moment to have just a short rest, her back was aching.

"'s no problem" replied Izzy, noticing the bags under the womans eyes and the slight way she shuffled on her feet indicating that she was uncomfortable. "Tell you what, I'll help you out here for a bit, you look a little short staffed, if you got a room for me for the night?" this was partly for the benefit of the pregnant lady in front of her, and partly out of habit, she had learned that sleeping under the stars was a nice idea but not always practical, besides she's worked plenty of places to earn herself a bed for the night.

And so with Vanora's consent Izzy spent the next few hours working in the tavern, and soon enough as she had predicted word of her arrival had spread, various individuals had arrived at the tavern to hear the stranger regale them with stories of her adventures. Oh, and what stories they were, some were almost unbelievable, but that slight sparkle in her eyes let the world know that she spoke the truth.

She had not even realised that it had grown dark, and that the day was almost at its close, but while half way though a story about her time in Africa, she was startled when a cheery voice sounded out.

"IZZY!!!" before she was promptly swept from her feet in a great hug of friendship.


End file.
